The New England Patriots have seen their fair share of controversy over the years, but nothing has ever affected their Super Bowl preparation like #DeflateGate. The purported scandal has taken over sports news ever since the Pats were accused of purposely deflating footballs during the AFC Championship Game last Sunday, Jan. 18. So on Saturday, Jan. 24, Bill Nye and Saturday Night Live burned the team.
Allow us to explain: The NFL mandates that game-used footballs must be inflated between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch and weigh between 14 and 15 ounces. When the weather is poor -- as it was during the AFC Championship Jan. 18 -- teams might be tempted to deflate the footballs they use to make them easier to throw and catch.
The league knows that 11 of the 12 game balls designated for New England's use were under-inflated during the game, but no one is sure how that happened or who exactly is responsible.
"Once the balls have left the locker room, no one, including players, equipment managers, ball boys and coaches, is allowed to alter the footballs in any way," former official Jim Daopoulos told ESPN. "If any individual alters the footballs, or if a non-approved ball is used in the game, the person responsible and, if appropriate, the head coach or other club personnel will be subject to discipline, including but not limited to a fine of $25,000."
People have pointed fingers at head coach Bill Belichick, quarterback Tom Brady and even the team's equipment managers, but no one is copping to the crime, with Belichick and Brady both vehemently denying the accusations in press conferences this week.
Bill Nye the Science Guy recently discredited Belichick's air pressure explanation, telling ABC News that it "didn't make any sense."
And the whole to-do was given a hilarious send-up on Saturday Night Live this weekend, when actor Bobby Moynihan stole the show as equipment manager "Dougie Spoons."
Check it out below:
The Patriots will face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX Sunday, Feb. 1, in Glendale, Arizona.
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